The ‘Freakonomics’ of dysfunctional diaspora elites: መደመር or መቆመር ( By Teshome Debalke )

It is clear by now; contemporary dysfunctional elites’ self-appointment to represent the people of Ethiopia is the source of all ills in our society to remind us what George Orwell articulated; “the further a society drift from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.”

October 10, 2018

Ever since the new Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed came to power and opened up TPLF instigated zero-sum game ethnic apartheid Federal Revolutionary Democracy politics and extractive ‘Developmental State’ Freakonomics for scrutiny, nothing was the same in Ethiopia.

So dysfunctional elites’ scramble to pivot the political, social and economic reality to preserve the ill-gotten political and economic power and privilege at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia.

Quite frankly, watching them constipate to legitimize the ethnic apartheid politics and Developmental State ‘Freakonomics’ built on sand by making up more fairytales as they go in the middle of the reform is appalling.

Nothing illustrate that reality than the recent staged Diaspora Conference organized by the government owned ETV and the infamous Ethiopian  Diaspora Association and sponsored by Midroc Technology and Sheraton Hotel owned by the Ethiopian-born Saudi investor Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi incarcerated by his adopted country of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last year for alleged corruption. It is a perfect example of what is wrong with illegitimate private businesses, government Media and make-belive Associations come together to pivot the reality to sustain the status qua hoodwinking the unsuspecting from finding out the delinquency of the ruling collusion EPDRF member party — the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) to undermine the new PM Abiy Ahmed initiated reform effort.

Thus, the staged conference as expected brought the good and unsuspecting expats from around the world lured by the spirit of the new PM’s ‘መደመር’ slogan as well as the bad and dreadful dysfunctional TPLF operatives that came out of the woodworks to preempt the truth from coming out.

The Amharic word ‘መደመር’– loosely mean to be added or included for a cause, in this case; the unity of Ethiopians’ to defuse TPLF’s enablers instigated ethnic apartheid politics of division and lawlessness and the Freakonomics of corruption and extortion and bring about law-and-order and accountability in a nation ruled with impunity for last 27-years.

As expected, the attempt to short-circuit ‘መደመር’ for unity and reform by the usual suspects was replaced by ‘መቆመር’ to confuse and disfranchise Ethiopians in the diaspora’ to undermine the reform. But, as much as the die-hard TPLF operatives’ ever-ending cat-and-mouse game in disguise was tragic; the failure to define or put parameter around the loaded word መደመር and the absence of information on the background of who-is-who playing Ethiopians for a fool didn’t help.

More concerting was the organizing public Media ETV/EBC that supposedly abandoned serving as TPLF mouthpiece making a mockery of the reform and the Free Press in collaboration with TPLF operatives in the Foreign Ministry Diaspora Affair Office and the infamous Ethiopian Diaspora Association founded in 2012 by TPLF mouthpiece Aiga Forum operatives led by the Former founding Chairman Dr. Ababu Yimene Minda, Unfortunately, the present ‘Executive Director and CEO’ as he is referred on the official website of Association is Abraham Sium — the only officer identify by name without his affiliations and bio – rendering the Association useless.

Regrettably, seeing the civilized people of Ethiopia led by the most uncivilized dysfunctional elites and yes-men that got away with zero-sum-game politics and Freakonomics as-long-as we can remember is unfortunate. After all, what people can withstand 27-years of TPLF’ enablers designed ethnic apartheid political and economic onslaught but, Ethiopians that came together in unity to say not on my watch.

It reminds me article I wrote in December of 2012 titled Civilized people uncivilized regime: How did it happen? followed by another article; Civilized people uncivilized regime II and the tale of dysfunctional elites in October of 2016 to show the problem of Ethiopians is caused solely by uncivilized contemporary elites’ unchecked behavior.  Unfortunately, the silence of the majority of their civilized peers refuse to speak up to make them accountable.

Therefore, the problem has never been and will never be whether the people of Ethiopia are civilized to know what is important as proven for friends and foes for centuries. That historical chapter closed for as-long-and-as-far as the present generation can remember and as much as the uncivilized contemporary dysfunctional elites’ capacity to comprehend as they kept tampering with it.

Thus, in the spirit of the African proverb – “eat when the food is ready and speak when the time is right”, TPLF led uncivilized elites’ fairytale reached the last hope-against-all hope to sustain ethnic apartheid rule and the Freakonomics of extortion that served it and its enablers well by undermining Ethiopians’ unity and the nation’s integrity by any means necessary as its uncivilized  elites stampede to undo the modest reform  forwarded by the new Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed to save them from themselves  from committing more crimes against the people of Ethiopia.

Notwithstanding PM Abiy Ahmed speech on the 13^th General Assembly conference of the ruling collation EPRDF to accommodate the member Mafia party TPLF led by the shamelessly and corrupt warlord Deberzion Gebermariam for the sake of Ethiopian; it doesn’t mean an open license for the warlords to hold Ethiopians hostage in the ever-expanding imaginary Tigray Region of the ethnic apartheid state created nor, to continue committing more crimes against the people of Ethiopia as they refuse to abandon the jungle law built on crimes against humanity and corruption.

But, let us be realistic. Reforming TPLF led ethnic apartheid state and the extortive economy that naturally came with it isn’t as easy as we think and convincing dysfunctional elites on its payroll to abandon it isn’t going to be a walk in the park either.  After all, it was designed to be difficult if not impossible to reverse and the beneficiaries are made to believe; extortion civilization.

Therefore, the staged diaspora conference at the infamous Sheraton Addis that brought civilized diaspora elites from around the world for መደመር and their uncivilized peers for መቆመር for the first time in 27 years won’t do any good to clean up the swamp for genuine reform to take place as it never did in any nation reformed to become a functioning democracy.

To illustrate the challenge of sorting out civilized elites consequential to clean up the swamp for genuine reform to take place verses their uncivilized counterparts hellbent to sustain the swamp is the question. And, only the infamous engineers of the swamp Queen and King of poverty Dr. Eleni Gebremeidhen present at the diaspora conference disguised as a blond-hair talking on both sides of her mouth and Zemdenhe Negatu disguise as innocent observer seating in the middle of the crowed come in handy.

For the record, it was for the first time the two TPLF diaspora operatives showed up in a public forum to hear what they have done to the people of Ethiopia on behalf of TPLF warlords since they returned home two decades ago courtesy of ‘donors’ and ‘investors’ to help themselves and TPLF warlords in the name of helping their poor compatriots and country.

Unfortunately, the noble cause of helping the poor attracts many dysfunctional elites willing to suspend the law of nature and the code of professional conduct as well violate the rule of law and morality and made it career path to help themselves. But no one took it at whole different level to be monetized and auctioned for the highest ‘private-bidder’ like a commodity than the Queen and King of poverty Dr. Eleni Gebremeidhen and Zemdenhe Negatu.

One may wonder, why would the most privileged expats educated in the most prestigious universities of America governed by the rule of law and professional code conduct of the free world to know better the consequence of colluding with and legitimizing a corrupt ethnic oligarchy led regime stoop to lure donors and ‘investors’ at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia?

Could it be ignorance, miseducation, subversion or the same old greed is better left for ‘professional’ journalists, researchers and historians to sort out. But, their raw transgressions pivoting the reality are as uncivilized as they come if not criminal visible for necked eye.

Unfortunately, the usual make-believe Medias scrambling to look holier than the Free Press they despised all these years did wonders covering up the reality to undermine the necessary reform from taking place.

But, the truth for anyone that care to see it; the Queen an King of Poverty singlehandedly conspired with TPLF warlords and donors to change the Ethiopian Economy forever using their dual citizenship and ripped the benefit handsomely.  When that wasn’t enough, they have the audacity to show up in staged diaspora conference disguised as innocent bystanders once again to insult the intelligence of the people of Ethiopia in the middle of the new PM Abiy call for reform.    

That said, their long history of conspiracy against the people of Ethiopia is hard to put together in one article. Therefore, by highlighting the two and associates clandestine operation; journalists, scholars, political leaders, concerned government and nongovernmental agencies’ officials, including the PM Office must investigate their vast conspiracy at home and abroad to make them accountable.  After all, reform is all about rule of law and accountability to the people; not to donors, foreign governments, and investors, political parties or for self-preservation of uncivilized elites.

Therefore, until justice take its own course; the Queen and King of Poverty or anyone that doesn’t come clean and transparent to the public or that attempt to circumvent the necessary political, social and economic reform effort behind closed doors should expect to be called out by all concerned stakeholders as we witness them play hide-and-seek to undermine reform.

As the political reforms takes most of the airwaves and the discourse of Ethiopians, when people say, ‘it is the economy stupid’ or better yet; ‘follow the money’; they meant to say that is where most of dysfunctional contemporary elites are chasing the almighty dollar.

The Ethiopian economy like many LDC is not complex to understand. Nor, following the almighty dollar trail to find out who is fleecing the people of Ethiopia in daylight shouldn’t be hard to figure out either. But, what is hard; how TPLF operatives posed as ‘experts’ and ‘investors’ or what the renowned Economics Professor William Easterly of New York University and the author of Tyranny of Experts referred as ‘ambivalent technocrats’ legitimize extorting the wealth of the nation in the name of helping the poor made poor by Developmental State ‘Freakonomics’ .

Quite frankly, for anyone that want to learn real reform to the pressing problem of poverty and underdevelopment, there is no need for more conferences, researches or educations nor the need to hear over-and-over again from the same ‘experts’ to tell us the same but, to carefully listen what Professor Easterly’s March 2014 presentation at the World Affairs Council of Northern California titled “Freedom as solution to poverty”.

He summed it up with one sentence; “poverty is not caused by shortage of experts, it is caused by shortage of rights” — rendering the ‘Lords of Poverty’ and sponsors utterly useless.

The humility of the self-admitted recovering ‘ambivalent technocrat’ is a fresh air for all other ‘defunct economists’ that need recovery from their own addiction or seduction of the poverty industry.  In that regard, Easterly quoting one of the 20^th century most influential British Economist John Maynard Keynes; “the Idea of economist both when they are right or wrong is more powerful than as commonly understood. Indeed, the world are ruled by little else. Practical men are usually slaves for defunct economists” and open the door wide who is responsible for the mess.

Easterly didn’t stop there to make his case for Freedom by the way of his ‘favorite’ late tyrant of Ethiopia Melse Zenawi by quoting the legendry Ethiopian journalist and x-prisoner Eskndir Nega stating; “democracy should no longer be seen as eccentric virtue of Westerners but, ubiquitous expression of our humanity” put the last nail on the coffin of the tyrant that put him in jail and to leave his uncivilized enabling apologist elites and sponsors to run for cover ever since.

In all fairness, the whole exercise of telling autocrats, ‘ambivalent technocrats’ and apologists; ‘democracy isn’t ‘eccentric virtue of Westerners’ was not invented by them but, by the policy of enabling donors, including the World Bank itself that dictates not to mention ‘democracy’ in any of the Bank’s document or officials’ speech in governance and economic development of poor countries as an official policy that empowered tyrants and surrogates to commit crimes and ‘experts’ to make a living covering up the crimes.  No wonder ‘ambivalent technocrats’ shuttle back-and-forth to give aid-and-comfort for the chosen tyrants of the world as the ‘Bank’ ordered. Surprisingly, they comply for little perk and recognition with or the opportunity to fleece the people they claim to help in silence.

Take for instance, the Oct 7, 2016 Hoover Institute panel discussion on Africa Growth Initiative, ‘an event in which African researchers and aid agency staff engaged African policymakers hosted by the Global Development Network and the African Economic Research Consortium. The theme, according Hoover was ‘conversations on the present and future of policy in two key areas for the continent—financial inclusion and agriculture—based on available policy knowledge and scientific evidence.

Unfortunately, the five ‘ambivalent technocrats’ present at the panel discussion (two appeared to be Ethiopian national) none mentioned democracy, human rights violation, high crimes of corruption and mismanagement of regimes as the cause of poverty and underdevelopment as dictated by their sponsors but, the absence of the right kinds of research for ‘policy makers’ to solve the problem of Africa to remind me what the legendry American R&B singer and songwriter Ruth Brown said; a fox is a wolf who sends flowers’.

But, beyond ‘tyranny of experts’ or ‘ambivalent technocrats’ sanctioned by World Bank or one-or-another donor, the record shows; Queen Gebremedhin and King Negatu of Poverty knowingly and willingly conspired to collude with TPLF Mafia warlords’ takedown of the means-and-ways of production, financing, marketing, trade and investment of the Ethiopian economy in collaboration mainly with US and UK governments, donors and Foundations’ officials and Philanthropists until they venture on their own to rip the benefit of what they saw in the make-believe ‘private’ sector.

Both Queen and King of Poverty at present like many of their dysfunctional compatriots are ‘private’ equity fund ‘investors’ (more invaders) in lawless regime of Ethiopia of the last 27 years. The Former Founder and CEO of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange that started with helping the poor farmers of Ethiopia is the present owner and CEO of private equity fund firms Eleni LLC out of Nairobi, Kenya and Blue Moon Ethiopia out of Addis Ababa still in a business of helping the poor farmers but this time with foreign private fund investment.

Likewise, the Former Ernest Young East Africa Managing Partner, a U.S. investment consulting firm  based in Addis Ababa that advised  the government of Ethiopia on privatization of public enterprises to the ruling party owned enterprises and foreign/expats investors at the same time since 1995 is the present Chairman of a private equity investment firm Fairfax Africa Fund of undisclosed individuals out of McClain, Virginia  co-founded by Yarid Berhane, a former employee/partner at EY East Africa still in the name of helping the country economy grow faster in the world.

These kinds of ‘cannibal investors’ are classic cases of what William Shakespeare referred as; “lawless are they that make their wills their law.”  Unfortunately, the international community praises them as heroes of development and private sector investment and invite them make mockery of the rule of law, professional ethics and transparency — reinforcing; the poverty industry sponsors prefer to hire uncivilized elites than their civilized counterparts.

Here, it is important to make a note: The proliferation of all kinds of unregulated ‘private equity funds’ of undisclosed expat and foreign investors in Ethiopia since 2008 mostly based in US and Europe as well as offshore from the Caribbean and Panama is astounding. In fact, private equity fund is becoming major vehicles of financing for clandestine investors’ in Ethiopia and elsewhere with the help of international organization like IFC, EIB and many others eager to be partner with expat led equity firms with no question asked.

In a recent article titled; Is European Investment Bank backing investors or invaders in Ethiopia we highlighted the newly formed UK based Cepheus Growth Capital Fund in Ethiopia managed by an expat of unknown citizenship by the name Kasaye Kebede, the Founder of Panton Wealth Management a foreign entity out of in New York and Panton Sovereign Fund of about a billion dollars of undisclosed individuals out of the Cayman Island should remind us The Spiders Web: Britain’s Second Empire Documentary showing how Africans are still colonies of the old Empires by proxy.

The same man is an associate of Dr. Eleni Gebremedhin and Zemdenhe Negatu and one of the 21 members Advisory Council the new PM Abiy commissioned on the sale of public enterprises as well as the 15 members Diaspora Trust Fund Advisory Council Chaired by Prof. Al Mariam.

Naturally, when there is no background check, laws and accountability governing investment in place, expat that reside in nations of rule of laws and accountability to know better go wild in lawless nations dictated by human nature of greed as it would be expected. But, who makes them responsible and accountable remained an open question — as TPLF operatives and surrogates flock to undermine the PM reform effort to bring about accountability right under his nose in public.  Sadly, the ruling ethnic apartheid collusion party that was structured to hold the people of Ethiopia hostage in ethnic enclaves for the benefit of TPLF warlords’ and surrogates was meant not to be accountable to anyone.

In June 2011 article titled Investment in Ethiopia is a Child Play: corruption is rampant to highlight who is who running the investment scheme of Ethiopia.

Take for instance the Ethiopian Investment Commission under the Former Director General Fesume Ariga responsible for ‘foreign/expat/domestic ‘investments’ and regulation of the last decades.  No one knows the laws governing private equity investment funds from undisclosed individuals, particularly the three-dozen diaspora led equity funds that started showing up since 2008 under his tenor. Instead of being investigated, Fesume Ariga was promoted as Chief of Staff/Secretory of PM Abiy Ahmed.

The Ministry of Trade was under the previous General Director of the Commission Taddse Haile that oversaw the Commission under Fesume Ariga. Likewise, the first Director General that held the position since 1991 was an elusive TPLF operative and a British national by the name Abi Woldemeskle.  The three knows everything to know about who-is approved/rejected to invest in Ethiopia and on what since 1991 under the direction of the Mekele based TPLF Mafia they are member.

The Deputy General Commissioner Dr. Belachew Mekuria the only none TPLF member that replace Fesume in April of 2018 when the new PM came to power ‘resigned’ few months later — reportedly to ‘reunite with his family abroad’.

At the meantime, the toothless Federal Ethics and Corruption Commission led by the long-time Former Commissioner Ali Suliman was promoted as Ethiopian Ambassador to France and left the country without a single investigation let alone conviction of high-level corruption by the TPLF owned and operated enterprises and expat run private equity fund firms that finance them under his tenor.

The new Commissioner that replaced him is Ayelign Mulualam. According to TPLF affiliated The Reporter Media known to cover up high-level corruption of TPLF warlords; Mulualam  is a former school teacher and ‘Amhara’ Region health official that studied Biology at Asmara University at undisclosed period and, later earned a degree in Organizational Leadership’ from US-based Azusa University; the same infamous online university where many of the ruling party officials, including the Former Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe and the Former Education Minister Shiferaw Shigute reportedly acquired wholesale diplomas in ‘organizational leadership’.

With all kinds dysfunctional, incompetent and corrupt elites in government, nongovernmental and private sectors; expecting reform in good governance or hoping for transparency to come soon requires a lot more effort by the Free Press, independent watchdogs and competing political parties and the new PM team.

The $42 million equity investment on TPLF owned and operated EFFORT’s Addis Pharmaceutical by two expats run private equity fund firm 54 Capital Ltd Co-founded by CIO Saad Aouad out of UK comes in mind how TPLF operatives disguised as private equity fund investors overwhelmed the Ethiopian economy financing the ruling party owned enterprises and gabbling up public enterprises, in many cases with Ethiopian currency. In that regard, the Former EY East Africa Managing Partner and the present Fairfax Africa Fund Chairman Zemdenhe Negatu played vital role in gabbling up some of the over 360 public enterprises on behalf of his clients since 1995, including Sheikh Al Amoudi.

Likewise, two brothers by the name Yonnas Assefa and Henock Assefa, Founder and publishers of The Ethiopian American Magazine out of New York that established by’ invitation only’ Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum and the sponsors are instrumental luring unsuspecting Ethiopians in the diaspora in coordination with TPLF operatives in government agencies. Among their clandestine associate/sponsor is Mani Amare, the Founder and CEO of ModernETH, a technology firm based in New York with an office in Addis Ababa.

What make the elusive Mani (Manny Amare) and his associates hazardous; they solely controlled the Ethiopian Investment Commission’s portal out of their NY office under all three successive Director Generals of the Commission from 1991 to 2010 including under Fesume Arega tenor. It is believed ModernETH from Addis Ababa office control the Investment Commission as well as many key government agencies’ portals at present.

TPLF operatives fix against the people of Ethiopia has been on since 1991. What is missing is the rest of Ethiopian elites, particularly the political elites to come together beyond their own political ambition to end such lawlessness by TPLF operatives at home and abroad.

Regardless of what comes out of PM Abiy reform effort, the undisputed face of TPLF oligarchs’ Developmental State Freakonomics hoax to the public and the international community in the last two decades remain to be the Queen and King of poverty Dr. Eleni Gebremedhin and Zemdenhe Negatu. What makes them unique and perfidious from the rest is; their long-and close relationship with the late Chairman of TPLF and PM of Ethiopia Melse Zenawi’s agenda to consolidate the production, financing, marketing, distribution, transportation and trade of the Ethiopian economy under TPLF owned and operated parasitic companies in collaboration with donors.

Dr. Gebremedhin that specialize in the economics of monetizing poverty and centralizing commodity market managed to lure donors and foreign ‘investors’ in the name of helping poor farmers to earn her favor from the ruling ethnic oligarchs to operate with impunity. In doing so, she suspended her professional ethics and the rule of law at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia — courtesy and praise of the international community.  Her admiration for the late tyrant speaks volume about the Swiss national privileged to be educated in the prestigious Stanford University in the U.S. to end up serving the ethnic apartheid oligarchy with great distinctions.

Her close and long association with the Former Obama Administration’s Senior National Security Susan Rise, and the Former Director of USAID and the present President Gail Smith  of One Campaign  — a fund-raising NGO for the African poor based in Washington D.C. Chaired by the infamous Irish Rock Band U2 star  musician, venture capitalist, businessman and philanthropist  known as Bono (Paul David) is where Eleni seats on the Board of Directors. She also manages 8 Miles private equity investment led by the same Bono and associates that partner with her Eleni LLC. firm. Smith and Bono are known apologists of TPLF warlords since Live Aid of 1884 and Rise since she joined the Clinton Administration in the early-90s as Director of the African Foundation and later as Assistance Secretory of State for African Affairs.

Furthermore, Eleni close association with Former US officials that invest in ‘emerging markets’, including the Former Secretary of State Madam Albright of the Clinton Administration that run Stonebridge Group, ‘a consulting firm for multinationals, financial institutions, industries’ association’ where Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Johnnie Carson joined after they left the Obama Administration and, Albright Capital Management, an ‘emerging market’ investment firm actively involved in East Africa at the same time.

The Former Bush administration’s Secretory of African Affairs Jendayi Frazer and the present CEO of Africa Exchange Holdings, Ltd, ‘a private sector initiative to build Africa’s equity and commodity markets’ based in Washington, D.C. is also active investor in Africa and an associate of Queen of poverty Eleni in the frenzy of private equity fund investment in Africa.

Unfortunately, many Former U.S. officials and associates instrumental in making U.S. African policy in collaboration with expat like Eleni ended up as investors in the same regimes they supported for decades that can only possible in lawless African regimes.

The question of are they investors or invaders and, who make them accountable remained unanswered — as they continue to defend rogue regimes to protect their investments as we watch them scramble to silence the people of Ethiopia in the middle of the reform.

The role Susan Rise and Gale Smith played to make President Obama declare TPLF led ruling party that won 2015 election by 100 % of the votes as “democratically elected government of Ethiopia” can’t be underestimated how far they would go as investors to pivot reality of the monster they imposed on the people of Ethiopia.

Likewise, the King of Poverty Zemdenhe Negatu that specialize in the economics of public asset liquation and extractive industry investment in Africa managed to legitimize TPLF oligarchs to gabble up public assets and land in partnership with scrupulous ‘foreign/expat’ investors at the rate never seen since the colonialists’ invasion of Africa. His biggest client while he was EY Managing Partner according to his testimony in the 2011 US-Saudi Investment Forum in Atlanta Georgia was Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi.  His 2015 invest in Ethiopia pitch at Turkey-Ethiopia Business Forum in Istanbul Turkey and  his 2016  UNIDO investment Forum speech organized by his associate Henok Assefa in Addis Ababa and his pitch in 2018 AIFE panel discussion  as Chairman of Fairfax Africa Fund to invest in ‘the fastest growing Developable State Economy’ of Ethiopia as well many  Regional and Diaspora Forms out of his TPLF owned Mega Building of EY East Africa Managing Partner HQ in Addis Ababa or as Chairman of Fairfax Africa Private Equity Fund out of his US office in MacLaine, Virginia to lure foreign/expat investors shows; how US nationals are all over the place ransacking the nation with impunity on behalf of TPLF oligarchs.

Unfortunately, with all the laws and the rules in-and-out of the country bent and broken by TPLF operatives out in the open under three successive U.S. Administration watch; Ethiopians continue to suffer under TPLF oligarchs hellbent to stay in power and privilege as they continue to undermine the new PM reform.

Negatu and Associates at Fairfax Africa Fund set their mind and hearts to gabble up public enterprises or what the Former PM HD refer as Cash Cows under privatization scheme.  After all, like all corporate criminal raiders before them with insider information, who can blame them to rush before the reform or the law catch up with them.

For instance, under the US Foreign Corruption Act, it is illegal for foreign government officials owned and operated enterprise or their agents to do business in the U.S.  Yet, for two decades; no US official raised the issue for the concerned law enforcement agencies.  Nor, no one knows the scope and the amount of transgression that take place by the TPLF owned and affiliated business enterprises and their agents doing business in the U.S., Canada, UK, EU, Dubai, India, China, Malaysia, Kenya, South Africa and elsewhere.

Likewise, under Foreign Agent Registration Act, it is illegal to operate as agent of foreign government without registration at the State Department. Yet, there is no record if-and-when the ruling party agents registered nor charged for violating the statue.

In the last 10 years the poverty industry matured enough for multilateral organization, multinational corporation and foundations to join in with the new buzz word of Public Private Partnership (PPP) of investing in Africa. The new phenomena that came about to mitgate the failed developmental aid model with a different name for the benefit of rogue regimes won’t go away soon if dysfunctional elites, particularly expat like the Queen and the King of poverty continue to make a mockery of the rule of law and investment transparency using their dual citizenship to hide behind donors and foreign investors to cover up corruption, collusion and extortion.

No one should have illusion on what needs to be reformed as the people of Ethiopia continue to be under attack by their own dysfunctional elites more so by expats in collaboration with oligarchs sponsored by the donor community and multinational corporation, foundations, philanthropists as well as foreign government officials.

Among the top violator of basic rules of governance and transparency is the ‘renowned’ philanthropists and Chairman of the Gates Foundation Bill Gates, with Africa HQ in Addis Ababa led by Haddis Tadesse that yet to criticize let alone make African regimes that engage in massive corruption, human right violation and mismanagement of public and donors’ funds accountable. The lack of transparency on the Foundation work itself and the undisclosed local partners on its official website to the public speaks for itself.

At the meantime, mainstream Western Medias’ complicity to look the other way on basic violations of African regime, donors and philanthropists — abrogating their journalistic responsibility sidelined the public interest by accepting the status qua.  Likewise, the ruling party affiliated make-believe Medias spewing empty propaganda in the cyberspace to sustain the status qua remained unchallenged by Western Medias and watchdogs that rely on them for the truth about the political, social and economic reality of Ethiopia. The sorry state of Western Media correspondents’ coverage of Ethiopia in the last 27 years and counting speaks where their loyalty rests to remind us the Arabian proverb; ‘lying and stealing are next door neighbors’.

If the struggle for freedom, justice and democracy of the people of Ethiopia through the new PM reform to materialize, all dysfunctional elites and enablers must be identified and scrutinized primarily by the Free Press and civic societies as well as every Ethiopian that want to see a government that fears the people than people that fear the government as the new reformist PM Abiy Ahmed articulated.

Unfortunately, the same staged conferences and elaborate propaganda from the same operatives to detract from the important reform issue for the benefit of the usual suspects and partners in crime remain the # 1 treat to the people of Ethiopia and the PM’s reform effort.

Therefore, the zero-sum game dysfunctional elites have been playing for too long at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia and on behalf of their enablers must end sooner than later.

The recent public indictment by the self-proclaimed Oromo representative led by Bekele Gerba against ESAT and unnamed party that appeared to be Patriotic-Ginbot 7 is another calculated political detraction at the expenses of the reform effort and the people of Ethiopia.

More disheartening was the usual politically motivated public indictment (mudslinging) through ‘joint Press Release’ by self-appointed representative of our people that feel entitled to rule by ethnic affiliation than by the consent of the governed or indict anyone they feel like it without due process of law and accountability.  Street justice is the price the people of Ethiopia paid as it was designed by dysfunctional contemporary political elites that won’t make up their mind what they want from the people of Ethiopia. .

The role of the Free Press, including the accused (ESAT) in making accusers accountable in court of law for defamation, character assassination and impersonating as representative of Ethiopians in the imaginary Oromo Region they created is more important now than ever before.  No one should have the right to self-appoint him/herself as representative of any people let alone accuse anyone on their behalf until the people consent in their freewill.

As TPLF warlords instigated sham on the people of Ethiopia continue, the silent majority elites can no longer ignore when our people are politically, socially and economically auctioned by their dysfunctional peers’ ambition to rule by ethnic affiliation or entitlement than by consent. Everyone must be forced to surrender for rule of law and abandon the rule of the jungle to inflect more pain and suffering on the people of Ethiopia.

No one, not the new, the old or the future Prime Minster or anybody else represent anyone until the people of Ethiopia say so in their free will. The sooner every political elite is ‘forced’ to accept that reality, the better off they and our people will be.

Therefore, when our people say; Nesanet Yemaywk nesa awchi; they precisely meant to say; dysfunctional political elites that lived off their misery by claiming to represent them without their consent. If TPLF warlords that made mockery of representation isn’t a lesson for one and all by now; God save Ethiopia and us all.

The civilized people of Ethiopia weren’t born yesterday to fall for the political elites’ convenience to rule by confusion. Nor should they be insulted by dimwitted contemporary dysfunctional elites that believe; pleading foreigners for political recognition or money to rule can substitute democratic representation.

When self-appointed political representation of our people isn’t enough, the self-appointed ‘Freakonomics’ representation is the other side of the same coin that shouldn’t be shrugged off under the carpet as the new reform take shape surrounded by TPLF hyenas in the unfortunate country of Ethiopia.

And, no one is prime example Freakonomics’ representation that feel entitled to auction the labors and the resources of the people of Ethiopia with impunity on behalf of TPLF in the name of helping the poor and developing the Economy of their enablers than the Queen and King of Poverty Dr. Eleni Gebermedhin and Zemdeneh Negatu.

It is clear by now; contemporary dysfunctional elites’ self-appointment to represent the people of Ethiopia is the source of all ills in our society to remind us what George Orwell articulated; “the further a society drift from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.”

Therefore, the best the rest of the Ethiopian elites can do to end ‘society drifting further from the truth’ and not to ‘hate those who speak it’ is to help the new Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed achieve the promised reform of accountability and no taxation without representation by confronting the offenders and their enablers head-on in every public venue and court of law in every judication and every sector they hide behind to surrender.

Anything else is sideshow to distract the people of Ethiopia from the important issue of ending TPLF led proxy occupation and institute a government by, to and for the people.

The article is dedicated for the civilized people of Ethiopia held hostage by uncivilized contemporary elites and enablers. The proxy colonization of an independent people/nation must end.